Young men from all across New Mexico, from
all walks of life, joined the National Guard
at the end of the Great Depression. The New
Mexico National Guard, the oldest in the
United States, traces its origins to the
Spanish Colonial Period of the 17th Century.

Camp Luna, in San Miguel County,
New Mexico — The Regiment's summer training grounds
— was named for Captain Maximiliano Luna, an officer
in F Troop, 1st US Volunteer Cavalry in Cuba — one
of Theodore Roosevelt's "Rough Riders". Shortly
after being appointed Speaker of the House,
Territory of New Mexico, Captain Luna was sent to
the Philippines and lost his life there crossing a
river on Luzon in 1899.